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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25355626">Gautier Cheese Gratin</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NinjaSoulreaper27/pseuds/NinjaSoulreaper27'>NinjaSoulreaper27</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Feelings, Gautier Cheese Gratin, M/M, Minor character death spoiler, Pre-Time Skip</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 07:53:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,818</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25355626</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NinjaSoulreaper27/pseuds/NinjaSoulreaper27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Byleth notices Dimitri is feeling quite down lately and wants to help. Felix is in a similar situation with Sylvain.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd &amp; My Unit | Byleth, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth, Felix Hugo Fraldarius &amp; Sylvain Jose Gautier, Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Gautier Cheese Gratin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I did label this as Sylvix and Dimileth  as those were my intentions but it could probably also be read as friendship. It's definitely left to your interpretation ^-^</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Professor!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Byleth turned as Mercedes called out, it seemed she had something for her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I have the recipe you asked for. I wrote it down, there are so many ways to prepare it but I have the most common way here.” Mercedes offered Byleth the recipe. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you Mercedes,” Byleth took the paper and looked over it. ‘Gautier Cheese Gratin’ was scrawled perfectly across the top. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mercedes smiled, the Professor was not the most expressive but her students had learned how to pick up on her subtle facial expressions. Mercedes could see the slight tug at Byleth’s lips, she was smiling. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I am curious, professor. What made you want to prepare this particular dish?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“A certain someone was feeling a little down recently and had mentioned this dish in the past...I thought I’d see if I could help.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That sounds very much like you, professor.” Mercedes beamed at her, such a generous caring woman they had for a teacher. “If you need any help please let me know.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you, I will.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With that the two parted way. Byleth still had some work to do before she could make her way to the kitchens. She was hoping she could make this properly, it wasn’t until she arrived at the Monastery that she expanded her culinary library. Before coming to Garreg Mach most of her cooking was done outside over a campfire. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After making a considerable dent in grading her student’s tests she decided she was done for the day and headed off to go test out the recipe burning a whole in her pocket. Thankfully the kitchens would be empty so no one would see how many times she’d fail before she got it right. It usually took her a few tries before she got a dish to taste as it should. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She reviewed the recipe on the way over to the dining hall, she liked to make sure she read over the recipe at least once or twice before attempting it so that she wasn’t surprised by anything. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Distracted by her reading Byleth walked straight into someone. The recipe fell from her grasp and on to the ground between her and the other person. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t expect you to ever be the type of person to be too distracted by something that you ended up unaware of your surroundings.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Byleth looked up to see Felix standing in front of her. His brow raised and his arms crossed. She saw him glance down at the paper before he leaned down and picked it up for her. She watched as he read over it with a slight frown. Byleth had learned that not all of Felix’s frowns were angry ones. While she wasn’t as good as Sylvain at reading and understanding Felix, she felt like she was good enough to know when he was actually upset. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What has you so interested in this dish?” Felix’s tone was more curious than she expected. She eyed him for a moment, wondering if she should be honest with him or not. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“To be honest, Dimitri has been quite down recently. He’d mentioned this dish being a childhood favorite of his and I thought I’d make it to see if it might help a bit.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“...sounds like something you’d do.” Felix was frowning again, still not angry. If Byleth had to guess she’d say it was contemplative. “Did he tell you why it was a favorite?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>That was not what she’d expected to hear from him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, he just said it was a favorite that held good memories for him.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm… did you know there are many variations of the dish?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Byleth had honestly expected Felix to scoff or make a snide remark about Dimitri but he was surprising her with all of these questions and comments.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mercedes mentioned that, she said this was the most common way.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s true. The Monastery makes it this way. Sylvain won’t eat it unless it’s cooked like it is back home.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it that different?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Different enough. Like the Boar, this dish holds good memories for him so he likes to eat it a certain way.” She gave Felix a look as he called Dimitri, The Boar. Felix made it a point to ignore said look. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I wonder if Dimitri prefers a different version.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’ll be the same version Sylvain prefers.” Before Byleth could ask why Felix followed up with an answer. “Our family’s all got the recipe from the Gautiers. Sylvain’s grandmother was the one who came up with the version we all grew up with.” Felix looked like he wanted to say more, so like the patient teacher she was Byleth waited for him to speak again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can help make it the right way.” He looked away from her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You want to help me make the right version for Dimitri?” She tilted her head, how curious. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What? NO!” He snapped as he looked at her again. He huffed as she simply raised a brow at him. Felix crossed his arms and looked away once again. “I am not doing this for The Boar… Sylvain hasn’t been himself and this would be a good thing to bring him around.” He half mumbled the last part. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s a very kind thing to do for him.” She watched as Felix’s ear’s started to faintly turn pink, she had to hold back a soft chuckle as he scoffed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean we’re friends...I don’t actually hate him.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I never thought you did.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Plus, he’s always trying to calm me down, take a rest, or cheer me up. He doesn’t exactly let people do that for him, he always hides his feelings behind that stupid grin. Trying to figure out what he is really feeling is like pulling teeth.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She felt a smile pull at her lips, Sylvain was the expert when it came to understanding what Felix didn’t say but even she knew that Felix wanted Sylvain to tell him when he was upset. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sounds like you care about him a lot.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you want my help or not?” The blush was now creeping up Felix’s neck. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I would love the help.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They walked over to the kitchens in silence. Felix was frowning all the way, she could see how tense he was by his shoulders. He started to relax though once they made their way into the dining hall. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Felix cooked just like he fought. Direct, precise and adapted when he needed to. Now, Byleth had cooked with Felix before. Like her, the attempts weren’t always perfect but they weren’t bad either. This dish however, it seemed like he knew it just as well as he did sword techniques. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I am curious Felix…” She started to comment as she watched him gather the seasonings they needed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why I know how to cook this?” He glanced over to see her nod. He sighed as he gestured for her to hand him the bird meat. “Sylvain’s mother, she didn’t cook, ever. This dish was the only thing I think she ever made. I am pretty sure it’s because his grandmother made her learn when she married Sylvain’s father.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He gestured for her to follow him along as he seasoned the meat, She wondered if she over seasoned it Dimitri would be more likely to taste it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Even though she didn’t cook often it was really good. I remember Sylvain would always ask her to make it when I came to visit. It became a bit of a tradition when I visited. When she passed away Sylvain had found a written version of the recipe, his grandmother had written it down at some point. He dragged me to the kitchen and we practiced until we made it exactly like we remembered. We got so sick that winter, we had tasted so many failed dishes.” Felix paused and sighed, Byleth didn’t think she’d ever heard him speak so much at one time.”She wasn’t a warm woman, not very motherly. But Sylvain is… too caring sometimes and even though she didn’t give him the love and attention a mother should have he in his own way still loved and missed her.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you two still make it when you visit?” Byleth wasn’t surprised to see that Felix had pulled out two dishes, he probably planned for Sylvain and Dimitri’s to be made slightly different.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes...We haven’t had it since the last time I was there. That was the winter before we came to Garreg Mach.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They worked relatively quietly for the rest of the time. Felix only made small comments on how to cut something or made adjustments to what she was doing. She only asked once if it was a good idea to over season things to see if it might help Dimitri taste it. He didn’t say it was a dumb idea, he only made a small grumbling sound which she took as ‘it could work.’ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They heard voices approaching the dining hall as they got the food ready to plate. Byleth had to admit the food was very tasty. She had tried Dimitri’s, it had a similar taste but intensified. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow, it smells amazing in here.” Sylvain’s distinctive voice rang out through the empty dining hall. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“The smell is familiar.” Dimitri commented. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They both made their way over to where Felix and Byleth stood. They both seemed surprised to see their Professor and Felix in the kitchen. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you drag Felix in here to help you cook Prof?” Sylvain teased, his arms crossed behind his head. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, he volunteered.” That wiped off the fake smile off of Sylvain’s face. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?” The red head turned his attention to his best friend. Felix looked off to the side, his arms crossed defensively. Sylvain knew instantly that the swordsman was feeling a little embarrassed at being caught like this. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What did you cook, professor?” Dimitri’s curiosity cut through the odd mood. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh...it’s a surprise.” Byleth hoped this was a good idea, while he seemed in a fairly good mood she could see the melancholy in his eyes. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Aww Professor did you cook us something special?” Sylvain grinned at her, his attention moving from Felix. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You should go wait in your room.” Felix cut in. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“W-what?” Sylvain’s words stumbled at Felix’s sudden comment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You should go wait in your room.” Felix frowned at him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oookay then,” Sylvain looked around, “Guess I am not eating with you today your highness. See you two later.” He gave Felix one more look before he headed off. Normally he’d ask more questions or tease Felix but he’d sounded so earnest and Sylvain knew his best friend well enough to read between the lines. Felix had something he wanted to talk to Sylvain about. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dimitri waved at Sylvain as he left. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You should go take a seat Dimitri.” Byleth sounded a little more gentle than her normal tone.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dimitri was now dying of curiosity. What had the professor and Felix cooked up? It seemed like it was either made specifically for him and Sylvain or they were the test subjects for the dish. He sat down and waited. He watched as Felix left the dining hall with a basket. He must have taken whatever he needed in it. Not long after Byleth walked out from the kitchen with a dish in her own hands. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I am sorry that I can’t enjoy this properly professor.” He sighed, he wished he could taste what she had made him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay, I know you can’t really taste things. That’s why I made yours differently.” She said placing the plate down and then took a seat next to him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Differently?” Did that mean she and Felix had made separate dishes?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, I seasoned yours more than Felix seasoned Sylvain's. I am not sure if you’ll be able to taste it but I thought maybe if the seasonings were more intense you might get a small bit of it.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He looked down at the dish and sucked in a deep breath. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I noticed you were feeling down recently and you’d mentioned how this dish held good memories for you.” Byleth hoped she hadn’t made a mistake. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dimitri felt a lump form in his throat as he stared down at the dish, he wouldn’t be able to taste it but he could smell it. It smelled exactly as he remembered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did I ever tell you why it was my favorite?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“My mother passed away when I was very young. I don’t remember much of her, just small memories. I remember this though. I remember the taste. She made it for me when I was little. I asked my father about the dish, I wondered why she cooked a dish you’d only normally find at the Gautier estate. He said that when visiting Margrave Gautier they’d been served this dish and mother fell in love with it. Mother had apparently convinced Sylvain’s mother to give her the recipe and would make it at home. I remember the first time I had it when I visited Sylvain. It had been years since I’d last had it.” His voice shuddered as he summoned up the memory. “It was just us children sitting at the dining table getting ready to eat. As soon as I took my first bite I recognized the flavor and started crying.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She watched as his eyes began to well up. Byleth placed a hand on his forearm. He let out a small chuckle and turned to her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t tell Felix you know, but he used to cry a lot when he was little. As soon as I started crying he started to cry too. Sylvain had gotten up and stood between us. He wrapped his arms around us with no questions, Ingrid fussed over us trying to figure out why we were upset. Sylvain let us cry it out for a bit before making some jokes to try and cheer us up.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“This dish makes you think of her.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” Dimitri nodded slowly, “but it also makes me think of my friends. So much has changed...but somethings haven’t.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She knew what he meant. Felix with all his barbs and spikes would still make sure out on the battlefield Dimitri was covered. From the stories she heard Sylvain hid much of himself behind walls and smiles but he was always there for his friends ready to help carry their worries. Ingrid while stubborn and blunt was always looking out for her friends' best interest. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dimitri picked up the fork next to his plate and took a fork full. He eyed it for a moment before taking a bite. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s so so faint, but I swear I can taste it.” Dimitri’s hand shook as he held the fork. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Byleth watched as the tears rolled down his cheeks. Without a second thought she reached out and pulled him down to rest his head on her shoulder. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you.” He whispered. She rested her head against his in response and let him take all the time he needed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>------</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Felix kind of hated that he had to put all of this stuff in a basket, he could already hear Sylvain’s comments, but it was the most effective way to get this to the dorms. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He glanced down at the basket in his hands, goddess the things he did sometimes for Sylvain. He clenched his jaw, he just really hated seeing him sad. Regardless of how Sylvain felt he gave fake smiles to everyone. When it was just them though he'd show Felix genuine smiles, only Felix was privy to those. Lately though, Felix hasn’t seen a single one. Between Miklan’s death and Sylvain’s shitty father’s stupid letter’s he wasn’t surprised that the red head was upset. He expected it, but it didn’t change the fact that Felix missed… </span>
  <em>
    <span>wait what? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Felix shook his head, he didn’t miss Sylvain’s smiles. He just hated seeing him moping. He sighed and ran a hand over his face. He couldn’t even lie to himself about this one, at least the only one hearing this was his own brain. He was upset that his friend was upset and there seemed very little he could do about it. Felix wasn’t good at comforting people or cheering them up, that was Sylvain’s department. That’s why when Sylvain was upset Felix was always at a loss on how to help him. The second he’d seen the recipe the Professor had he’d cursed internally, how had he not thought of it before. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When he reached Sylvain’s room he didn’t knock, he simply opened the door and walked in. He saw that Sylvain already had two chairs waiting at his desk. He’d taken off his jacket and shoes and had gotten comfortable while he waited. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow, a basket? Felix if you wanted to go on a picnic date we could have gone out.” Sylvain teased. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up,” There was no heat in his words as he rolled his eyes. Sylvain gave a small laugh and gestured for Felix to sit down. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright Fraldarius what did you and the Professor cook up?” Sylvain leaned over to try and peak into the basket. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Felix gently pushed him away as he opened it up. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why don’t you shut up and wait, it’s like you don’t know what a surprise is.” Felix huffed as he grabbed a bowl out of the basket. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“A surprise? For me?” Sylvain sounded genuinely surprised at the idea. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Who else?” He almost called him a dumbass but held back. Felix glanced over and felt a small pang in his chest. He was not doing a good job on his end as a friend if Sylvain was this surprised at him doing something nice for him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What’d you make me Fe?” Sylvain gave him one of those smiles Felix had been missing, it was warm and bright, like the sun. It really hadn’t been that long since Sylvain had smiled at him like that but Goddess how he missed them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Felix placed the bowl down in front of Sylvain and placed a fork in it. He took the seat at Sylvain’s left and waited. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s the occasion?” Sylvain did his best to keep his words steady but Felix could hear the emotion welling up in them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Your abusive brother made you fight him to the death, your shitty father is being shittier than normal...and you’re trying to shoulder all of this on your own. You wouldn’t say anything but I know you’re upset.” Felix frowned. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t want to worry you Fe,” Sylvain looked at him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s stupid.” Felix met his eyes. “You always get me to tell you what’s wrong...why don’t you trust me and do the same.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I do trust you...I just...I don’t want to burden you with all of this.” Sylvain waved his hand, gesturing at nothing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not a burden Sylvain.” If Felix had been standing he might have stubbornly stomped his foot. “You aren’t alone.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, I know.” Sylvain leaned in closer. “I am sorry Felix.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t apologize...just don’t handle it alone next time.” Felix crossed his arms, he tried to focus on Sylvain’s shoulder but eventually his eyes drifted up and he made eye contact with Sylvain. Stupid pretty eyes, ugh. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll do my best.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You better.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sylvain smiled and turned to the bowl again. Felix watched as a small frown creased Sylvain’s brow. He didn’t say anything, he simply waited for Sylvain to talk first. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Isn’t it sad that this is one of the few good things I think of when I think of my family?” Sylvain gave a huff. Felix could see his eyes begin to turn pink around the edges. He saw Sylvain's grip on his fork tighten and the way he tried to swallow the lump building in his throat. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Your family didn’t exactly give you an environment to build good memories.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, no they didn’t,” Sylvain let out a sad laugh. “Goddess how fucked up is it that the only dinners I can think of where my parents didn’t lecture and scold where when we ate this. The only time Miklan kept his snide comments to himself and he didn’t try and bruise my shins with kicks from under the table. The only time things felt half normal. I have no idea why it was that way when we ate this, maybe unconsciously out of respect for my grandmother? Maybe they enjoyed it so much they just focused on eating...I don’t know but I was always grateful for it. After my mother died, I only had it when you came over. My father and Miklan never ate it.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Felix could see Sylvain holding back the emotions fighting to spill over. Felix reached out and rubbed a hand over Sylvain’s back comfortingly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“My family is so fucked up,” He tried to laugh but only tears came out. “Goddess what I wouldn’t have given for a family that gave a shit. One that didn’t prioritize crests and titles above all else.” He swallowed hard and took a large bite. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Felix didn’t hug people often, it was rare and far between. Occasionally the urge popped up but he usually suppressed it. All he wanted to do right now though was to reach out and hug his friend and for once he didn’t hold himself back from doing so. He scooted closer and wrapped his arms around Sylvain from the side. He rested his head against his back shoulder and held onto him. He could hear Sylvain eating more of the Gratin. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you know what I think of more often than that though when I think of this dish or when I eat it?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Felix asked quietly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You,” Sylvain reached down and placed his hand over Felix’s where it rested on his stomach. “I think about you and all the times we cooked together. About the time you and Dimitri cried while eating it, about those horrible stomach aches we got trying to learn to cook this. I think about how being able to cook this dish meant you were visiting.” Sylvain sighed, “it makes me think about how lucky I am to have met you and that if there was one good thing about being born into my family it was that I got to meet you.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Felix’s grip on Sylvain tightened, he felt his face and his eyes warm at the words. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re such a sap.” He choked out. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, but I am your sap.” Sylvain leaned his head back, letting the back of his head bump the top of Felix’s. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“...Yeah...you are.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you Fe.” Sylvain squeezed Felix’s hand. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up and eat before it gets cold.” Felix gently rubbed his head against Sylvain’s shoulder and got comfortable. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No need to tell me twice.” Without another word Sylvain devoured the food in front of him and went in for seconds afterwards. </span>
</p>
<p><br/>
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</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you guys liked this. It's my first FE3H fic. I had a lot of ideas for fics but after reading one where Gautier Cheese Gratin was mentioned I couldn't get this idea out of my head. I had to make up some background story concerning Dimitri and Sylvain's mother's since I couldn't find much on them and it's been a while since I've played.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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